If you’re someone who cooks or bakes daily, you probably use your garbage disposal every day. The last thing you want is to come home after a long day of work to your garbage disposal not working correctly when you’re trying to cook a meal. While sometimes issues with garbage disposals are inevitable, others can be avoided just by knowing how to maintain it. Keep reading to learn some tips, tricks, and advice for keeping your garbage disposal in the best shape possible.
Use Cold Water:
Make an effort to use cold water when running your disposal. The cold water helps prevent things like oil and grease from solidifying down the drain and potentially creating a clog. While hot water might break down food easier, it’s not worth the headache of the future issues it may cause.
Use Regularly:
If you don’t already use your garbage disposal regularly, start now! Regular use helps to elongate the lifespan of the disposal, as lack of use can lead to rusting, rotting food, and corrosion. When the mechanics are constantly working, it’s continuously doing its job of breaking down food so it doesn’t obstruct the drain or garbage disposal from working correctly.
Break Up Larger Items:
While a garbage disposal’s job is to break down food, it can’t break down everything. Oversized food should be cut up before putting it down the disposal to prevent it from getting backed up.
Know What Can/Can’t Go Down the Disposal:
Most foods have no issue going down the garbage disposal, but there are a few that you should throw away rather than washing down the drain. It’s a good idea to avoid tossing things like eggshells, grease, bones, or dense waste like corn husks and banana peels down the disposal, as they have a more challenging time breaking down and decomposing can damage the blades.
Grind Ice Cubes:
Ice cubes can be tossed down the garbage disposal and ground as a way to clean and sharpen the blades. Try putting some down the drain every week or so.
Use Citrus Peels to Clean:
Citrus peels not only leave your garbage disposal with a pleasant citrusy scent, but they also act as a cleaner for the disposal itself! Since they’re high in acidity, citrus peels can help loosen and eliminate grime and excess food that might be stuck on the disposal’s blades or lining.
Have Drain Lines Snaked:
Hire a professional plumber to snake your drain lines every year or two. This maintenance will break up any clogs and clear out anything having trouble breaking down.
